16 Specific Practices Associated with the Original Akron A.A. "Christian Fellowship" Program

16 Specific Practices

Associated with the Original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” Program

Bill W. and Dr. Bob Developed

© 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved

The following practices, with the summary of the original program by Frank Amos in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers,[1]show why Albert Scott spoke on behalf of so many Rockefeller observers and characterized the program in this way: “Why, this is first century Christianity! What can we do to help?”[2] In reporting on the program itself, Frank Amos had said that “in many respects, their meetings have taken on the form of the meetings described in the Gospels of the early Christians during the first century.”[3] And there is certainly ample basis for such conclusions in the book of Acts. See Acts 2:38-47, 4:31-37, 10: 34-48, 17:1-4, 19:1-11

And here are 16 actual practices of the original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” during the period from June 10, 1935, to the publishing of the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (the "Big Book") in April 1939:

1. Qualifying the newcomer. Newcomers—and often their wives—were interviewed by Dr. Bob (and other pioneer AAs) to determine: if they had conceded that they had an uncontrollable alcoholism problem; if they had shown a desire to quit permanently; and if they had committed themselves to go to any length to stay sober.[4]

2. Hospitalization was a must. Newcomers were hospitalized for a period of some five-to-seven days. They were medicated to prevent seizures and other problems. During this time, Dr. Bob would visit extensively each day, other sober alcoholics would tell the newcomer their stories, the Bible was the only reading material allowed, and Dr. Bob would offer the newcomer the opportunity to "surrender" before release.[5]

3. “Surrender” by the newcomer before discharge after his five-to-seven-day stay at the hospital. Before the newcomer was discharged from the hospital, Dr. Bob would conduct his final visit and require that the newcomer profess a belief in God—not “a” God, but God.[6] Then the newcomer would get out of his bed, get down on his knees, and pray with Dr. Bob, accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in the process.[7]

4. Upon leaving the hospital, in the case of Clarence Snyder at least, Clarence was taken to his first Oxford Group meeting at T. Henry’s house, given a Bible by Dr. Bob, and told by Dr. Bob to “go out and fix drunks as an avocation.”[8] This practice of telling the newcomer, at the time he surrendered to God, that he must go out and help other drunks was consistent from the very first.

5. Most went to live in the Smith residence or in the residences of other Akron people like Wally G. and Tom L. They stayed as long as needed in order to get steady in their path.[9]

6. There were Christian fellowship meetings every day, with Dr. Bob, Anne, and Henrietta Seiberling. These included group Bible study, prayer, and Quiet Time observances.[10]

7. In addition, each morning, alcoholics and their family members gathered at the Smith home for a Quiet Time conducted by Anne, with prayer, Bible reading, seeking guidance, and discussion of portions of Anne’s personal journal.[11]

8. There was one “Oxford Group” meeting each Wednesday at the home of T. Henry Williams—a meeting unlike any other Oxford Group meeting. These meetings scarcely resembled conventional Oxford Group meetings. Oldtimers Wally and Annabelle G. said they had read a lot about the Oxford Group meetings being held at the Mayflower [in 1933] but that “it wasn’t until later that they realized the meeting at T. Henry’s was 'sort of a clandestine lodge of the Oxford Group.'”[12] Dorothy S. M., wife of Dr. Bob's sponsee, Clarence S., observed in 1937 that the meeting was “a regular old fashioned prayer meeting.”[13] Dr. Bob’s son, Robert R. (“Smitty”) Smith, in a telephone conversation with me from his home in Nocona, Texas, described the meetings as “old fashioned revival meetings.”[14] Author Nan Robertson quoted Dr. Bob's son, Smitty, as follows: “It was kind of like an old fashioned revival meeting.”[15] Some called the group itself “the alcoholic squad.”[16] Oxford Group activist Willard Hunter called the group the “alcohol squad of the Oxford Group.” Frank Amos referred to the group as the “self-styled Alcoholic Group of Akron, Ohio.”[17] Dr. Bob called the group a “Christian Fellowship.”[18] Frank Amos declared, “Members did not want the movement connected directly or indirectly with any religious movement or cult; they stressed the point that they had no connection whatever with any so-called orthodox religious denomination, or with the Oxford Movement. (Obviously, Amos meant the Oxford Group).”[19] Bob E. stated:

Dr. Bob and T. Henry “teamed” the meeting; T. Henry took care of the prayers with which the meeting was opened and closed. “There were only a half dozen in the Oxford Group. We [the alcoholics] had more than that. Sometimes, we’d go downstairs and have our meeting, and the Oxford Group would have theirs in the sitting room.”[20]

9.  The “real surrender” by each newcomer at a “regular” meeting on Wednesday. And at these weekly meetings, there was a time in which newcomers were required to make a “real surrender” with Dr. Bob and one or two others upstairs. There the newcomer, on his knees, accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, asked that alcohol be taken out of his life, and asked strength and guidance to live according to cardinal Christian teachings. The elders prayed with him after the manner of James 5:16.[21]

10 There was extensive reading of Christian devotionals and literature provided by Dr. Bob, or recommended by Dr. Bob or his wife, and/or distributed or made available at meetings.[22]

11. There was particular stress on study of the Book of James, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and 1 Corinthians 13.[23]

12. Meetings concluded with invitations to reach out to newcomers in the hospital and elsewhere, and then closed with the Lord’s Prayer.[24]

13. There was frequent socializing in the homes, particularly on Saturday evenings.[25]

14. The little group of members and wives knew each other well. They frequently phoned one another. They frequently visited the homes of each other. They gathered for parties, dances, covered-dish suppers, and picnics. They prayed together. And they frequently had meals together.[26]

15. Keeping track of names, addresses, phone numbers, and sobriety information about each member was commonplace as evidenced by their address books and rosters. They kept little address books with the names, phone numbers, and street addresses of the pioneers. Also, this data was listed on some of the rosters which they kept and which are discussed next.[27]

16. The easy to find, extant rosters they kept, make it equally simple today to name and document the successes, relapses and returns, and failures among the original AAs. Particularly evidenced by the hand-written memo and roster kept by Dr. Bob and on file in the Rockefeller Archives today. Other rosters of the names and addresses, sobriety dates, and relapses, if any, were kept and still exist today. Richard K. of Massachusetts—author of four major works on early A.A. history, including studies of the “First 40” cures, about early articles about A.A., and about statistics relating to A.A.—has discussed these rosters.[28] Richard spent several months with me in Maui reviewing the rosters and materials I had, as well as materials he obtained from A.A. General Services in New York and elsewhere. He carefully examined photocopies of original documents, newspaper accounts, and extant lists of the early A.A. members and their sobriety records. His work is the most important study of early A.A. successes, cures, and announcements written to date. There are also my own copies of the pioneer member rosters which were acquired by me from several A.A. historians such as Earl Husband, George Trotter, Sue Smith Windows (Dr. Bob’s daughter), and Ray Grumney (former long-time archivist and member of the managing board at Dr. Bob’s Home in Akron). Their value became particularly valuable when other evidence was reviewed and clearly disclosed that early AAs commonly kept address books—many of which contained names, addresses, phone numbers, sobriety information, and relapse and death notations. As a group, these rosters enable an accurate evaluation of the successes of the original 40 pioneers surveyed by Bill W. and Dr. Bob in November 1937. And they provide important evidence relating to the 75% and 93% successes rates (overall, and in Cleveland, respectively) early A.A. claimed. Recently, an anonymous friend from New Jersey supplied me with a copy of a roster in Dr. Bob’s own hand, written on his medical office stationary, and listing all the successful original members, giving names, drinking history, relapses if any, sobriety dates, and age. It came from the Rockefeller Archives in New York. I now possess one I secured from those archives. It is a vital, new piece of evidence apparently unknown to those who have disputed the early A.A. successes or temporized about the reason for them.

End

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[1]      DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 135.

[2]     “Pass It On,” 183.

[3]      DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 135-136.

[4]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 109, 110, 112, 168, 195.

[5]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 102, 168.

[6]     See Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio (Washingtonville, NY: AA Big Book Study Group, 1999), 57. Clarence Snyder specifically related that Dr. Bob “pointed a long bony finger at him, and asked, ‘Young feller, do you believe in God? Not a God, but God!’”

[7]     See Mitchell K., How It Worked, 58.

[8]     Dick B., That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous (San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1996), 26.

[9]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 115-16, 177-80, 182; see also: Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 10-11, 19, 22, 24; Nell Wing, Grateful to Have Been There, 81; and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, 181-215.

[10]    The Co-Founders, 13.

[11]    See Bob Smith and Sue Smith Windows, Children of the Healer: The Story of Dr. Bob’s Kids (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 1992), 41, 29, 42-44; and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholic Anonymous, 62-63, 109-10, 202-08

[12]    DR, BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121.

[13]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121, 101.

[14]    Dick B., The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006), 66.

[15]    Nan Robertson, Getting Better Inside Alcoholics Anonymous (NY: Fawcett Crest, 1988), 50.

[16]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 100, 137.

[17]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 128.

[18]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 118.

[19]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 135.

[20]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 142.

[21]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 88-89, 139; Mitchell K., How It Worked, 70; and Dick B., The Golden Text of A.A.: God, the Pioneers, and Real Spirituality (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999), 31-32.

[22]    Dick B., The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth, 7^th ed.; Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library, 3^rd ed.; and Dick B., Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A., 2d ed.

[23]    The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975), 13.

[24]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121, 131, 141, 146-48.

[25]    These first 14 points are discussed in many books by Dick B. and others. One of the most recent and complete discussions is in Dick B., Real Twelve Step Fellowship History, 6-13. See also Dick B., Introduction to the Sources and Founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2007), 15-23; Dick B., When Early AAs Were Cured and Why, 3^rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications Inc., 2006); Dick B., The Golden Text of A.A.: God, the Pioneers, and Real Spirituality (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2000); Dick B., The James Club and the Original A.A. Program’s Absolute Essentials. 4^th ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2005); and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, Newton ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998). See also: Mary C. Darrah, Sister Ignatia: Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1992); Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio (Washingtonville, NY: AA Big Book Study Group, 1999); DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers; and The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975).

[26]   DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 145-48.

[27]    There are specific discussions of these early address books.  For example, Henrietta D., wife of A.A. Number Three, said, “They handed out little address books with everybody’s name in it. . . . the ones who had phone numbers, there they were. And when they said, ‘Drop in on us—anytime,’ they meant it.” A.A.’s biography of Dr. Bob states, “the telephone played an important role in A.A. from the beginning. Alex M., who came into A.A. in 1939, recalled, 'Bob E. made up little address books [as did Elgie R. and others afterward,] and every one of us got one.'” DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 145-46. The author, Dick B., has and displays copies of the pages from Anne Smith’s address book, containing the addresses of early AAs. They are shown at Christian recovery conferences.

[28]    (1) Richard K., A New Light: "The First Forty": A Chronological Survey of the Early AA Pioneers (1934-1938) (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Productions, 2003)--now included in New Freedom–cited below); (2) Richard K., So You Think Drunks Can't Be Cured? Press Releases by Witnesses to the Cure (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Publishing Company, 2003); (3) Richard K., Early AA: Separating Fact from Fiction: How Revisionists Have Led Our History Astray (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Publishing Company, 2003); and (4) Richard K., New Freedom: Reclaiming Alcoholics Anonymous (n.p.: n.p., 2005–marked "Manuscript Submitted for Inspection: Loan Copy")

Dr. William D. Silkworth, His Advice about the “Great Physician,” Bill W.’s Decision for Jesus Christ, and the Oxford Group

Dr. William D. Silkworth, His Advice about the “Great Physician,” Bill W.’s Decision for Jesus Christ, and the Oxford Group

Dick B.

© 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved

 Excerpt from forthcoming The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 4^th ed.

Many do not know a number of important facts about Rowland Hazard, Dr. William D. Silkworth, Ebby Thacher, and Bill Wilson. It has now been researched and documented, that a decision for Jesus Christ was part and parcel of the solution that was tendered to Bill before his “white light” experience at Towns Hospital. And Bill had responded by going to Calvary Mission in New York, making a decision for Jesus Christ, and writing that, for sure, he had been “born again.” Bill soon staggered on drunk to Towns Hospital and – after calling on the “Great Physician”—had the well-known “white light experience” that gave rise to the A.A. “Solution.”

We now know from the writings of T. Willard Hunter and also Jay S. that: (1) After consulting with Dr. Carl G. Jung, Rowland Hazard returned to the United States and made a decision for Jesus Christ. (2) He evidently passed this solution along to Ebby Thacher—in addition to teaching Ebby the Oxford Group’s principles and practices. Ebby was then lodged in Calvary Mission. And there, Ebby made a decision for Jesus Christ that preceded Ebby’s witnessing visit to Bill W. This series of events caused Bill to conclude and say that Ebby had been “reborn.”

Just before Ebby visited Bill, Dr. William D. Silkworth (a devout Christian) had told Bill Wilson on his third visit to Towns Hospital that if he did not quit drinking, Bill would die or go insane.

Silkworth also told Bill that the “Great Physician” Jesus Christ could cure Bill. And Silkworth was known to have given this same prescription about the “Great Physician” to at least one other patient, known to Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

Acting on the information about the decisions made by Rowland and by Ebby, and the information received from Dr. Silkworth, Bill came to believe that the “Great Physician” Jesus Christ could cure him too. Bill went to the same Calvary Mission where Ebby had been reborn; and Bill there made a decision for Jesus Christ also. Bill wrote that he had been born again for sure.

[The full details, with documented footnotes, are set forth in the forthcoming Christian Recovery Guide, 4^th edition, which is now a work in progress]

There was also an undeniable Oxford Group component in the information Bill had been receiving from Rowland Hazard, and two other Oxford Group members Cebra Graves and Shep Cornell. And he then, or soon, heard extensive Oxford Group details from Rev. Sam Shoemaker, who was to become, in Bill’s words, a “co-founder” of A.A.

It was from Rowland Hazard, Ebby Thacher, Reverend Sam Shoemaker, Jr., and the Oxford Group meetings in New York that Bill was regularly hearing the Oxford Group life-changing principles. However, he was also learning from Rowland Hazard, Dr. William D. Silkworth, and Ebby Thacher the necessary importance of a decision for Jesus Christ—whom Silkworth frequently called “the Great Physician.” And this historical observation was made by the author of Silkworth’s biography who said:

Silkworth has not been given the appropriate credit for his position on a spiritual conversion, particularly as it may relate to true Christian benefits. Several sources, including Norman Vincent Peale in his book The Positive Power of Jesus Christ, agree that it was Dr. Silkworth who used the term “The Great Physician” to explain the need in recovery for a relationship with Jesus Christ. If true, this reference to Jesus has all but been eliminated from the Alcoholics Anonymous history. In the formation of AA, Wilson initially insisted on references to God and Jesus, as well as the Great Physician. As the AA fellowship grew, however, other members persuaded Bill that a purely Christian format would alienate many, keeping potential members from joining the group. Silkworth challenged the alcoholic with an ultimatum. Once hopeless, the alcoholic would grasp hold of any chance of sobriety. Silkworth, a medical doctor, challenged the alcoholic with a spiritual conversion and a relationship with God as part of a program of recovery. His approach with Bill Wilson was no different.[1]

It is now not surprising to see, from Bill Wilson’s own autobiography, how Bill Wilson picked up on the “Great Physician” language and solution. Bill mentioned the “Great Physician” three different times.[2] And this was in company with remarks about religious conversion and religious experience, conversion experience, being born again, and cure.[3]

The Oxford Group had no “steps.”[4] It had no “old fashioned prayer meetings” such as those the original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” conducted.[5] It had no major focus on Bible study, hospitalization, and outreach to drunks such as that which was required in Akron.[6] While it originally spoke frequently about Jesus Christ, it shied away from the idea of “conversion” and adopted the idea that a person was “changed” when he followed Oxford Group precepts. He must “change.”[7]

On the other hand, when Bill Wilson actually wrote his Big Book and Twelve Steps, he used many Oxford Group words and phrases; codified many of the Oxford Group life-changing techniques; and often referred to the Oxford Group contributions to A.A. ideas.[8] In short, as he fashioned his Big Book ideas and Steps, Bill W. seemingly returned to Bill’s earliest sober days and the East Coast Oxford Group ideas he had heard with daily frequency before he met Dr. Bob in the summer of 1935.

And there were, in fact, some 28 Oxford Group ideas that impac

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[1] Dale Mitchel, Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2002), 50.

[2] Bill W.: My First 40 Years (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2000), 139, 145.

[3] Bill W.: My First 40 Years, 125, 138, 147. 148.

[4] “According to Bill, their word of mouth program had thus far been a pretty consistent procedure, containing six steps to achieve and maintain their sobriety. There is no evidence that the Oxford Group had such a specific program.” “Pass It On,” 197. “In later years, some A.A. members referred to this procedure as the six steps of the Oxford Group. Reverend T. Willard Hunter, who spent 18 years in full time staff positions for the Oxford Group and M.R.A., said, ‘I never once saw or heard anything like the Six Tenets. It would be impossible to find them in any Oxford Group-M.R.A. literature.’” “Pass It On,” 206.

[5] See the characterization of the meetings by Clarence Snyder’s wife Dorothy as “a regular old-fashioned prayer meeting.” DR. BOB, 101.

[6] See Dick B., The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living That Works, 3^rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998).

[7]  See Dick B., Turning Point: A History of Early A.A.’s Spiritual Roots and Successes (San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1997), 56, 334,-35, 403.

[8] See the comments of Jared C. Lobdell, This Strange Illness: Alcoholism and Bill W. (New York, NY: Aldine DeGruyter, 2004), 271, 75.

The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 4th Edition, by Dick B. & Ken B.,

The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 4th Edition, by Dick B. & Ken B.,
Is Nearly Ready to Go to Press
By Dick B.
© 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved
Previous editions of The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, by Dick B. and Ken B. have been widely distributed over the last two-and-a-half years. They have been sold directly from our main Web site, www.DickB.com. They have been sold as part of our “Christian Recovery Resource Centers and Persons” package: http://mcaf.ee/6df53. They have been displayed, distributed, given away, or sold at our recent North American Summit Conference Meetings of the International Christian Recovery Coalition on September 17, 2011, in Costa Mesa, California, and on September 24, 2011, in Brentwood, California. And the first three editions of The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide were intended to bring together in one place considerable Christian Recovery resources for the newcomer, the sponsor, the Christian recovery leader or pastor, A.A. Study Groups, Bible study groups, and the many Christian Recovery Fellowships now springing up or already organized.
The fourth edition, which we have substantially revised and expanded, is now well on its way to completion. We plan on releasing it in both Print-On-Demand and eBook format and distributing it widely within the Christian Recovery arena. The reasons for this new edition are numerous:
1. We want an updated, single, Christian Recovery resource guide for leaders, students, and newcomers, that brings together in comprehensive but summary form many things of the key things we have learned and published and spoken about over the last 21 years.
2. There have been many Christians and AAs coming on board, and there has been much acquisition of biblical tools, as well as A.A. history documents, books and manuscripts that disclose all aspects of the Christian Recovery Movement and the original Akron A.A. “Christian fellowship” program which developed from it.
3. A number of books—many published or reprinted recently--are now available to help illustrate the roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in A.A.'s origins, history, founding, original program, and success:
 Bill Wilson’s own autobiography, Bill W.: My First Forty Years, published by Hazelden (http://goo.gl/32YdQ).
 Dover Publications' Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition with all of  the original personal stories included in the first edition and a 23-page introduction by Dick B. (http://goo.gl/nTzl1)
 Hazelden Publishing’s October 2010 publication, The Book That Started It All: The Original Working Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous, which contains very high quality scans of the pages of the original “printer’s manuscript” of Alcoholics Anonymous (the “Big Book”). The scans show the many changes in point of view and language that were ultimately included in the first edition of the Big Book published on April 10, 1939 (http://goo.gl/frX78).
 Dale Mitchel, Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks. This is a biography of Dr. William D. Silkworth, the medical doctor who played such an important role during the early years of Alcoholics Anonymous. (http://goo.gl/LXbdu).
 William G. Borchert, The Lois Wilson Story: When Love Is Not Enough, a biography of the wife of A.A. cofounder Bill Wilson (http://goo.gl/G6PAk).
 Mel B., Ebby: The Man Who Sponsored Bill W. (http://goo.gl/AKkT1).
 D. Samuel Hopkins Hadley, Down in Water Street: A Story of Sixteen Years Life and Work in Water Street Mission, A Sequel to the Life of Jerry McAuley (http://goo.gl/NtVCO).
 John Wilbur Chapman, S.H. Hadley of Water Street: A Miracle of Grace (http://goo.gl/hz1dh)
 T. Willard Hunter, World Changing Through Life Changing , an updated, recently-published version of Hunter's master's thesis (http://goo.gl/V3XJV);
 T. Willard Hunter, “It Started Right There”: AA & MRA: Behind the Twelve Steps and the Self-Help Movement, a booklet discussing the relationship between Alcoholics Anonymous and Moral Re-Armament (a later name of The Oxford Group).
 Several new Twelve Step Guides and Workbooks—some secular and some Christian.
 Jeff Jay and Debra Jay, Love First: A Family's Guide to Intervention (http://goo.gl/58vcJ).
 Michael Belzman, Handbook for Christ-Centered Substance Abuse and Addiction Counselors (http://goo.gl/v4bPW).
 The Life Recovery Bible (http://goo.gl/eXGDw).
 Celebrate Recovery Bible (http://goo.gl/NrN0D).
 Richard Beck, A Proud Tradition, A Bright Future: A Sesquicentennial History of St. Johnsbury Academy (http://goo.gl/Vy6Cc). Dr. Bob attended St. Johnsbury Academy from 1894 to 1898.
 The Castle in the Pasture: Portrait of Burr and Burton Academy (http://goo.gl/OHh0b). Bill Wilson attended Burr and Burton Academy from 1909 to 1913 (and almost graduated in 1913). The text and research for this book was done by Frederica Templeton, the historian/archivist for Burr and Burton Academy.
 The biographies and autobiographies of Dwight L. Moody, F. B. Meyer, Francis Edward Clark (founder of the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor), Allen Folger [Twenty-five Years as an Evangelist (http://goo.gl/Pg9DB)], Ira Sankey, and Billy Sunday. And the histories of the revivals of the mid-to-late 1800's and early 1900's, the Great Awakening of 1875 in St. Johnsbury, the town of St. Johnsbury, and the Fairbanks family.
4. Thousands of pages of records, notes, pamphlets, correspondence, and manuscripts pertaining to Dr. Bob’s parents and grandparents; the family and its involvement with North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury; North Congregational Church sermons, Sunday school teachings, and Year Books; the United Society of Christian Endeavor in Vermont, generally, and St. Johnsbury, specifically; the Congregational Church in Vermont, generally, and St. Johnsbury, specifically; the YMCA in Vermont, generally, and St. Johnsbury, specifically; the schools of St. Johnsbury where Dr. Bob’s father was a superintendent; the government records of the Town of St. Johnsbury and of the Vermont Legislature, where Dr. Bob’s father held positions; the histories of North Congregational Church and of St. Johnsbury which Dr. Bob’s mother helped author; the Town of St. Johnsbury library known as the  Athenaeum; birth records; the Fairbanks Museum; The Caledonian, the newspaper of St. Johnsbury and many of its articles; the courthouse where Dr. Bob’s father was Probate Judge for many years; the Vermont library system of which Dr. Bob’s mother was a Commissioner; the extensive curricula, photos, flyers, announcements, student grade records, campus news, information about debaters and fraternities, the glee club, alumni activities, YMCA events, articles of incorporation and deeds and resolutions; and other news of St. Johnsbury Academy where Dr. Bob’s mother had been a student, a teacher, an alumni committee member, and a school historian, where Dr. Bob had attended and graduated, and where his father had been an examiner; and more.
5. Hundreds of photos of Bill Wilson’s East Dorset Congregational Church, of his family, of the church’s records, church confession and creed, Sermons, Sunday school teachings, and founders, as well as pews owned (one by the Wilson family), and of church members (who included the Wilsons and the Griffiths—grandparents and parents of Bill Wilson and his wife). Also, records of Bill’s four-year required Bible study, daily chapel, weekly church attendance, presidency of the YMCA, and concerning his girl friend at Burr and Burton Academy, who was president of its YWCA
6. Recently-acquired, scanned copies of, among others: (a) Bill Wilson’s 1943 “In Christ” inscription in a copy of Alcoholics Anonymous to a Christian church leader; and (b) Dr. Bob’s hand-written roster listing all the original AAs with their length of drinking, sobriety dates, relapses if any, and ultimate status.
7. The immense amount of information we have gained in the past two and a half years as to the following elements of the recovery movement—particularly of Christian participation and outreach: assessment of a newcomer, detox centers, interventions, counseling, treatment programs, Christian treatment and residential treatment programs, after care and transitional housing, sober living, Bible studies, prayer meetings, A.A. history study meetings, films, Christian fellowships, Step studies, Big Book studies, prison outreach, homeless outreach, veterans outreach and programs, disaster information, community resource information, and programs to help discharged or entering recovered AAs and NAs to get housing, employment, trade education, medical attention, mental health attention, food, welfare, job training, job interview, and other aspects of life that free such person from temptation, slippery places, slippery people, and relapse potential—also guide him to wholesome personal hygiene, public hygiene, nutrition, fitness, exercise, recreation, and pursuit of hobbies, music, entertainment, sports, and the like.
8. To enlarge participation in the International Christian Recovery Coalition; to establish “Christian Recovery Resource Centers and Persons”; to enlarge greatly publication of all aspects of Christian recovery by Internet, radio, TV, interviews, newsletters, blogs, conferences, seminars; distribution of Dick B. books, establishment of resource libraries, enlargement of a Speaker’s Bureau and The Dick B. Handbook for Christian Recovery Resource Centers; and to encourage networking, sharing of methods and approaches by Christian recovery leaders; to encourage seminars, renewal conferences, area work teams, and inclusion of every possible aspect of current and potential Christian recovery programs.
Gloria Deo

The Complete Program for the Sept 24 Christian Recov Summit in Brentwwood, CA

The International Christian Recovery Coalition
www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com

Presents

The North American Summit Conference Meeting #2

Saturday, September 24, 2011, 9:30 AM to 8:00 PM

Golden Hills Community Church—Brentwood Campus
2401 Shady Willow Lane, Brentwood, CA 94513
(925) 516-0653
http://goldenhills.org/




Theme

Using Akron-Cleveland Christian Recovery Model Principles
to Enhance Substantially Today's Christian Recovery Efforts














Contact: Dick B., Executive Director
International Christian Recovery Coalition
PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837
www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com
Email: DickB@DickB.com
Cell: 808 276 4945
The Program

Summit Conference Meeting #2
Golden Hills Community Church, Brentwood, CA

Friday Evening, September 23, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (** We hope you can make this meeting, too)

Workshop meeting with International Christian Recovery Coalition Participants: Details soon!

Saturday, September 24, 9:30 am to 8:00 pm:

Pre-meeting music and hospitality

Commencing prayer

Welcome by Matt Pierce, Pastor of Recovery Ministry, Golden Hills Community Church

Theme presentation by Dick B., Executive Director, International Christian Recovery Coalition

“Christian Recovery Resource Centers and Persons” Worldwide—on the Move!
Learning about the astonishing success of the original Akron A.A. “Christian fellowship” program and how to apply its principles and practices today;
how the early Cleveland program built upon the original Akron program and
set the stage for Christian recovery opportunities today

Break and Music (10 minutes)

Vision presentation by Ken B.

“Christian Recovery Resource Centers and Persons”:
Supplying Critically-Important, Missing Pieces in Modern Christian Recovery Efforts

Lunch Break (1 hour)

Featured Speaker: J. Donald Hall, Don Hall Ministries, 23365 Barnes Lane, Colfax, CA 95713

Long-recovered wayward youth and drug addict
Missionary evangelist and Bible teacher--18 years, serving with Youth With a Mission and
others in over 60 nations; conferences, seminars, retreats, and mission
services –also community programs in schools, prisons, and civic clubs
Graduate of Vanguard University, Costa Mesa, CA (B.A. Degree)
Graduate of California Graduate School of Theology (M.A. Degree)
Founder and former Executive Director of Teen Challenge in Southern CA and Hawaii
for sixteen years
Cited by the Governors of California and Hawaii for his leadership in the fight against
drug abuse and crime among America’s Youth
Senior Pastor of Calvary Assembly, San Jose, California, for eight years
Recent ministries: South Korea Outreach; Sri Lanka Ministry; Singapore; Gulf Disaster Relief

Break and Music (10 minutes)

Speaker Panel 1:

Jeff A. Holt, Men’s Recovery Fellowship, Auburn Church of the Nazarene, Auburn, California

Dale Marsh, Recovery Pastor, Oroville Church of the Nazarene, Oroville, California; International Christian Recovery Coalition Speakers’ Bureau

Dominic DiBlasio, Turning Point Recovery Ministry, Cornerstone Fellowship—Livermore Campus, California

Roger McDiarmid, International Christian Recovery Coalition Speakers' Bureau, Huntington Beach, California

Wade Hess, Training Director, CityTeam Ministries, San Jose, California

Break and Music (10 minutes)

Speaker Panel 2:

Mark Galligan, Leader, “Akronite” Recovery Group, Ontario, Canada

David Sadler, Christian recovery leader serving Golden Hills Community Church, Brentwood, California

Karen A. Plavan, Ph.D., Prof. of Counseling an Chemical Dependency, Director of Oasis Center, Pittsburgh, PA

Bill Boyles, President, Won Way Out Ministries, Wyoming, Delaware

Wayne White, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, President/CEO, Footprints/Alcoholics Victorious,
Kansas City, Missouri

Dinner Break (1 hour)

International Christian Recovery Coalition Future Plans: Dick B. and Ken B.

Christian Music Concert

Closing Prayer

Our Sponsors and Endorsers

Christian Denominational Recovery Programs

United Methodist Special Program on Substance Abuse and Related Violence

Rev. Cynthia W. Sloan
Program Associate,
United Methodist Special Program on
Substance Abuse and Related Violence (SPSARV)
New York Office location: 475 Riverside Drive, room 338
New York, NY 10115
phone: 212-870-3699, fax: 212-870-3932
North Carolina Office location:
325 Meadowbrook Drive
Matthews NC 28104-4309
phone: 704-882-0282
email: csloan@gbgm-umc.org
website: http://www.umspsarv.org
Become a “Fan” on SPSARV’s Facebook page
SPSARV Advance Number: 982598

Episcopal Diocese of Texas Recovery Committee

Fr. Bill Wigmore, Chaplain & Former President
Austin Recovery
8402 Cross Park Drive
Austin, TX. 78754
Tel: 512.697.8674
Email: RevBillW@gmail.com
website: www.AustinRecovery.org


Individual Benefactors

Bob J., Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Philanthropist and long-time Christian recovery and A.A. history collector and benefactor

Rick S.

Long-recovered Christian recovery work supporter
Rick is preparing a sponsor's guide to Alcoholics Anonymous, using the first edition text.
The guide will be published in paperback and on the Internet; and it will have accompanying audio talks of Rick's taking people through the Big Book.

Robert P. Turner, M.D., M.S.C.R.
Associate Professor of Neurosciences, Pediatrics, and Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, & Epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Christian Churches

The Crossing Church, Costa Mesa, California, Host, September 17, 2011, Conference

Golden Hills Community Church, Brentwood, California, Host, September 24, 2011, Conference


Endorsing Christian Recovery Libraries and Archives

Griffith Library, The Wilson House – birthplace of Bill Wilson, East Dorset, Vermont

Bonnie Burke (formerly, Bonnie Lepper), President

23,000 historical items donated by Dick B., A.A. meetings, Quiet Time, seminars.
Conducted Tours at East Dorset, Vermont (Wilson House, Griffith Library, East Dorset
Congregational Church—where both the Wilson and the Griffith families and
Bill W. attended—and nearby cemetery where Bill and Lois Wilson are buried)
Conducted Tours to St. Johnsbury, Vermont (Dr. Bob’s birthplace and boyhood home,
North Congregational Church—where all of Dr. Bob’s family attended,
The Athenaeum—the village library containing many historical records,
St. Johnsbury Academy—where Dr. Bob attended, his father was an Examiner,
and his mother had been student, teacher, school historian & Exec. Comm. member)

Dr. Bob Core Library—North Congregational Church (UCC), St. Johnsbury, Vermont

Jay Sprout, Pastor

The entire family of Dr. Bob attended this church and was active in its affairs.
North Congregational Church sponsors this Conference in the context of housing the “Dr. Bob Core Library.”

Ray G., Newton Falls, Ohio, and Seminole, Florida

Traveling archives; and, for 21 years, the Archivist and a Managing Board Member, Dr.
Bob’s Home, Akron, Ohio; A.A. speaker and exhibitor of A.A. historical Items all over the United States and Canada, and on sobriety cruises

The St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Library, Akron, Ohio

Mark Pruitt, Rector

This is the church in which Dr. Bob became a communicant before his death.
Its former rector, Dr. Walter Tunks, was a major figure in the beginning Akron days of A.A.
The library is a source of A.A. historical materials.

Christian Intervention, Treatment, Recovery Ministries, Counseling, Sober Living

Sponsors

New Life Spirit Recovery

Robert T. Tucker, Ph.D., D.Min., Registered Addiction Specialist, MCA & M-RAS)

Founder and Executive Director, New Life Spirit Recovery Christian Treatment Center; President, Association of Christian Alcohol & Drug Counseling (aka: ACADC Institute)
18652 Florida Street, Suite 200, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 841.1906 or Call Toll Free (866) 543.3361
http://www.newlifespiritrecovery.com/OC_Recovery.html

Rock Recovery Ministry, ABC Sober Living, Soledad House

David Powers, Rock Church recovery leader

810 Emerald Street
San Diego, CA 92109
Contact: david@abcsoberliving.com
619.925.1879
http://www.rockrecovery.org/

Association of Christian Alcohol and Drug Counselors Institute, Redlands, California

Pastor Mike Belzman, Ph.D., Chairman and Founder

Jeff Jay and Debra Jay, Grosse Point, Michigan

Nationally-known authors, lecturers, interventionists,
Authors of Love First: A Family’s Guide To Intervention—Updated
Tools and Techniques to Help Loved Ones Heal from Addiction, 2d ed., rev & exp.
(Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2008)

Publishers

Sponsors

Hazelden Publishing and Educational Services, division of Hazelden Foundation
Center City, Minnesota, www.Hazelden.org; publisher of recovery books, including:

The Book That Started It All: The Original Working Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous
Bill W.: My First 40 Years
Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks

Dover Publications

publisher of many books, including Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition,
with an Introduction by Dick B.: http://store.doverpublications.com/0486480593.html

Our Exhibitors and Displays

United Methodist Special Program on Substance Abuse and Related Violence (SPSARV)
http://www.umspspserv.org

New Light Spirit Recovery, Huntington Beach, California
http://www.newlifespiritrecovery.com/OC_Recovery.html

Association of Christian Alcohol and Drug Counselors Institute, Redlands, California

Hazelden Publishing and Educational Services, division of Hazelden Foundation
www.Hazelden.org


Our Featured Speaker and Panelists

Featured Speaker: J. Donald Hall, Don Hall Ministries, Colfax, California
(See details in this program about his education; his work with Teen Challenge and Youth With A Mission, his pastoring of churches, his work as a Missionary Evangelist and Bible teacher, and his speaking engagements in 60 nations.)

Speaker Panel 1:

Jeff A. Holt, Men’s Recovery Fellowship, Auburn Church of the Nazarene, Auburn, California

Dale Marsh, Recovery Pastor, Oroville Church of the Nazarene, Oroville, California

Dominic DiBlasio, Turning Point Recovery Ministry, Cornerstone Fellowship—Livermore Campus, California

Roger McDiarmid, International Christian Recovery Coalition Speakers' Bureau, Huntington Beach, California

Wade Hess, Training Director, CityTeam Ministries, San Jose, California

Speaker Panel 2:

Mark Galligan, Leader, “Akronite” Recovery Group, Ontario, Canada

David Sadler, Christian recovery leader serving Golden Hills Community Church, Brentwood, California

Karen A. Plavan, Ph.D., Prof. of Counseling an Chemical Dependency, Director of Oasis Center, Pittsburgh, PA

Bill Boyles, President, Won Way Out Ministries, Wyoming, Delaware

Wayne White, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, President/CEO, Footprints/Alcoholics Victorious,
Kansas City, MO

Acknowledgments

Our Conferences could not have taken place without leadership and help from:

Randy Moraitis, Executive Pastor of Ministries, The Crossing Church, Costa Mesa, CA

Matt Pierce, Pastor of Recovery Ministry, Golden Hills Community Church, Brentwood, CA

David Powers, Rock Recovery Ministries Leader, Rock Church, San Diego, CA

The Lifelines Band, Costa Mesa, CA

The Musicians at Golden Hills Community Church

Roger McDiarmid, Huntington Beach, California

David Sadler, Lafayette, California

Karl Kramer, Brentwood, California

Our Sponsors

Our Endorsers

Our Exhibitors


Thank you!

For Further Participation in and Support of the Projects of International Christian Recovery Coalition

Dick B. and Ken B., The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed., 2010

http://christianrecoverycoalition.com/christian-recovery-guide.shtml

The “Introductory Foundations for Christian Recovery” class by Dick B. and Ken B.

http://dickb.com/IFCR-Class.shtml
(The class includes four DVD's, a class instructor's guide, a student's guide, and
The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed.)

“Christian Recovery Resource Centers and Persons” Worldwide

http://christianrecoverycoalition.com/christian-recovery-resource-centers.shtml

The 29-volume “Dick B. A.A. History and Christian Recovery Movement Reference Set”

http://www.dickb.com/titles.shtml

The International Christian Recovery Coalition Web site:

www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com

The International Christian Recovery Coalition Blog

http://internationalchristianrecoverycoaliti.blogspot.com/

International Christian Recovery Coalition Forums Website

http://www.christianrecoverycoalition.com/forums/

Other Christian Recovery and A.A. Historical Resources

FREE: Over 650 articles by Dick B.: http://www.dickb.com/articles.shtml

FREE: Over 175 recorded audio talks by Dick B.: DickB.com/Audio-talks.shtml.

FREE: Follow Dick B. on Facebook, on Twitter, and on the Dick B. Blog.

FREE: The “Dick B. FYI Message” newsletters: To subscribe, please go to the bottom of the center column of the www.DickB.com front page.

FREE: The Dick B. Channel on YouTube (“dickbchannel”): http://goo.gl/rCtH6